


Dream Bubble

by vivaciousWordsmith



Category: Doctor Who, Homestuck
Genre: Crossover, Dreams, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Inspired by Art, Inspired by Fanart, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-02-25
Packaged: 2018-02-20 17:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2436536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivaciousWordsmith/pseuds/vivaciousWordsmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the heartbreaking departure of Amy and Rory, the Doctor has an unexpected visitor in his TARDIS. Based on Dream Bubbles by almond-goddess on deviantArt. Repost of my original version, which can be found here:</p>
<p>https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9048704/1/Dream-Bubble</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dream Bubble

It was quiet in the TARDIS console room. The only real sound was the familiar rasping of the ancient engines as the police telephone box tumbled through time and space. The Doctor stood with his hands resting upon the haphazard console, staring down at nothing in particular. Though the console room was quite large, it never felt empty until he was the only person in it. Now, after the loss of his companions, it felt larger and emptier than ever.

He closed his eyes, fighting the memories that surged up at the recollection; Rory vanishing, Amy's tears, and the sudden touch of an angel that ended it all. The words danced across his mind, taunting him, teasing him:  _'In loving memory, Rory Arthur Williams, and his loving wife, Amelia Williams.'_ They were gone, gone to a place where even the TARDIS couldn't reach them. Once again, he had let his loneliness drag innocent humans into the crossfire that was his life. Anger surged through him, and he let out a yell.

"It's not  _fair!_ " He stormed away from the console, pacing around like a lion locked in a cage. There was nothing to throw or strike in here, otherwise the Doctor would've had a vent for his pent-up emotions. As it was, he was confined to pacing and howling. "Why, why,  _why_ am I always alone?! Why do I always have to lose  _everyone?!"_

He stopped in his tracks, breathing heavily. His hearts were racing wildly, but as the anger drained out of him, they slowed to a calmer pace. It was the same answer, he thought sadly. All of his companions were human, while he was a Time Lord. What seemed like a long time to them was no time at all to him. They couldn't even comprehend how long he had lived; twelve hundred years old he was, yet he had the face of a young man. When it was time for them to go, he always felt like their time wasn't up yet. If there was one thing the Doctor hated, it was goodbyes.

Was that worse than having his companions taken away from him? Was it better? He couldn't decide. All he knew was he was alone again, and that was worse than anything else. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back the tears he knew were lurking just beneath the surface. Moving on from this would be nearly impossible.

Just as he was reaching for a switch on the console, he heard a voice. "Hello, Doctor."

He jerked up and whirled about. There was nobody there. Brow furrowing, he cast his eye about the TARDIS interior while fishing in his jacket pocket for his sonic screwdriver. He had been at this too long to write off the voice as a figment of his imagination. "Mind telling me who you are?" he called back. "Also, please show yourself. I'm not overly fond of talking to invisible people."

There was a soft laugh from somewhere behind him. "I'm right here, Doctor."

He spun around again, and there she was. A young girl, possible a teenager, had appeared right behind him. It was obvious from her appearance that she was not human; her skin was a dark shade of slate grey, and she had horns. Not small satyr-like horns-large curvy horns like those of a ram. They were the color of candy corn and curved up over her skull. Her eyes were a dull shade of rust red on an orange backdrop, and her lips were as black as her hair.

Her outfit was, if possible, even odder. She wore a red hoodie with a gear emblazoned on the front, with darker red leggings that ended at the knee. Instead of socks, what appeared to be ragged white bandages were wrapped around her calves and ankles. Oddest of all, two great red butterfly wings sprouted from her back, and up until they fluttered slightly, the Doctor had thought they were part of the costume.

"There's no need to be alarmed, Doctor," she said, and the Doctor noted a strange hollowness in her words. "I'm not going to hurt you." She smiled at him, and it did wonders to her otherwise sunken face.

"Is that so? Well, I do love to have visitors-'cept I have no idea how you got in here." He narrowed his eyes and examined the alien girl. "That being said, how  _did_ you get in here, Miss Horned Fairy…thing?"

"Aradia. My name is Aradia, Doctor. I'm a troll, or an Alternian, if you prefer." Her smile was still bright, though she looked a little put out.

"Really? Never heard of either one, and that's quite unusual by itself. How you got into the TARDIS is a whole other thing altogether." Whipping out his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor did a quick scan of the 'troll' and perused the results. "No…that's not possible," he muttered. He whacked the head of the screwdriver into his palm and tried again. Aradia watched with an amused expression as the Doctor's incredulous expression grew even more dumbfounded.

"Problem?" she asked. Her wings fluttered slightly as she danced back a step.

"I can't get a reading from you. Not life signs, not brain activity, not anything." He studied his sonic screwdriver again, his expression rapidly growing more worried. "What are you, Aradia?"

"I told you, I'm a troll." She walked forward again and placed her hand on the railing surrounding the TARDIS console. The Doctor could see five sharp yellow claws tipping each of her grey fingers. "There's a reason you can't scan me."

"Tell me, I'm all ears." He tucked the screwdriver back into his pocket and threw out is arms in 'what can you say' gesture. "Well, not really. Was once, didn't quite like it."

"You're dreaming, Doctor." Aradia's voice was soft now and much more serious. Her wide red eyes were fixated upon the Doctor as the smile slowly slid from her face.

"Sorry, I do tend to-"

"No, you're dreaming, Doctor. As in you're asleep right now. I'm not in the TARDIS, and technically, neither are you."

"What?" He cast his gaze around the console room; it looked the same as ever, and when he placed his hands upon it, the console was warm. "Hm, feels real enough. Besides, I don't sleep. Personal thing."

Aradia laughed softly. "If you weren't asleep, Doctor, I wouldn't be here."

He rocked back and forth on the spot, his brow furrowing slightly. "That's another thing-why are you here, Aradia?"

"Believe it or not, I've been waiting for you for a long time." She gazed up at him serenely, her wings fluttering yet again. "I've seen your story, Doctor, and it made me so sad."

"You can't have," he replied. "Nobody in all of time and space knows my story. Bits and pieces of it, maybe, but not all of it."

"They're not me," she said, a little immodestly. "I'm…"

"Dressed in a red fairy costume?" The Doctor suggested.

"Because I'm maid of time," she finished. " _The_ Maid of Time." She gave him a little half-smile. "It's not quite like being a Time Lord, but it's got its perks." The troll girl giggled softly at her little joke.

"Like what?" The Doctor was starting to get suspicious. When it came to time, he considered himself to be the only expert in the universe, yet here was this strange girl whom he knew nothing about. Either she was lying, or she was telling the truth and he really had never heard of her.

"Let me show you, Doctor." Aradia gestured to the doors of the TARDIS, her smile widening. "After you."

"There's nothing out there but space," he argued. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

Aradia shook her head. "I told you, Doctor, you're not where you think you are. This is a dream." She turned and started walking toward the doors. "If you really want proof, you'll follow me."

The Doctor deliberated for a few seconds before following after the odd girl. Curiosity was a powerful thing, and boy was he curious. It helped that Aradia didn't sound like she was trying to trick him; in fact, she sounded quite kind. Despite his initial trepidation, he was eager to see what she was talking about.

When she reached the TARDIS's front doors, Aradia reached out and pushed them open with the slightest of touches. Beyond the doors lay pure, impenetrable darkness. There was almost no light beyond the doors, except for one orange pinprick in the distance. The Doctor stared in open-mouthed amazement; in all his years of travel he had never seen anything like this.

"Where are we?" he whispered.

"The Furthest Ring," Aradia replied. "It's the space between universes, where everybody goes when they dream." She pointed to the orange pinprick with one grey finger. "That over there…that's a dream bubble. More specifically, it's your dream bubble." She turned back to beam at the Doctor. "That's my job as Maid of Time; to watch over all the different dream bubbles. And, like I said, I've been watching yours for a long time, waiting for you to arrive."

"Why?" He stared back at her, feeling more than a little dazed. "Why me?"

She didn't answer his question. Instead she rose up onto her tiptoes and took a dainty step out into the darkness. Alarmed, the Doctor reached out to catch her, only to watch as, with a flutter of her wings, she drifted out into the blackness. So they  _were_ for more than show. Aradia's smile grew broader as she took in his stunned expression. "Come with me," she said, and held out her hand. "It's so much easier to show you."

He looked from Aradia to the orange dot and back again before reaching out for the troll's hand. It was surprisingly soft and warm. Taking a deep breath, he moved forward one step. As he expected, there was nothing beneath his feet for him to walk on, and if it hadn't been for Aradia, he had a nasty suspicion that he would have fallen and never stopped. Strangely enough, he didn't feel like she was holding him; more like he was floating out in deep space.

As soon as the Doctor had left the safety of the TARDIS, Aradia began flying toward the orange speck. Her wings fluttered madly as she flew through the blackness, leaving a trail of red pixie dust in their wake. The Doctor turned back and saw the red trail extending behind them, ending right at the TARDIS doors. His hearts sank a little at the thought of his beloved box hanging in the middle of this void. Aradia seemed to have guessed what he was thinking, for she said, "It'll be all right. It's not actually here, after all."

In less time than he would have thought possible, they approached the orange dot, which swelled and turned into an iridescent orange bubble. "Not long now," Aradia announced. "Soon you will be able to see."

"See what?" His question went unanswered, which made the Doctor feel more than a little annoyed. He hated being in the dark, whether it was literally or figuratively.

Suddenly, Aradia stopped. "See for yourself," she whispered, and let go of his hand. For a few seconds, the Doctor thought he was going to tumble down into the unending darkness. He shut his eyes and windmilled his arms, expecting to feel the sickening sensation of falling at any minute. Nothing happened. He cracked open one eye and peered down. Impossibly, he was standing on the empty air. He even jumped up and down, testing the invisible surface beneath him.

"Well…this is new," he said. "This is definitely new."

"Look up, Doctor." Aradia's voice was quiet, like that of a friend about to unveil the biggest and best surprise.

The Doctor obliged-and felt the imaginary floor fall away as his insides did loop-the-loops. Trapped inside the bubble, looking distended but very much real, were the gleaming towers and orange sky of his home planet, Gallifrey. He blinked, trying to dispel the illusion, but it did not fade. It sat before him, as real as the hair on his head and the clothes on his back.

"What…how…" His voice was hoarse and his lips trembled as he turned back to Aradia. "This isn't possible…how is this possible?"

Aradia reached out and gently grabbed his hand again. "Anything is possible in a dream, Doctor. Except this is a little bit more than a dream, as you'll soon see." She began pulling him toward the bubble again, and he allowed himself to be dragged toward it.

Passing through the dream bubble was like walking through a curtain of warm water. As soon as they had entered it, there was no sign that this was even a dream bubble; when the Doctor looked back, all he could see was Gallifrey's wide open sky and an endless field. For a moment he wondered how they were going to get back to the TARDIS, and then Aradia was pulling on his hand again, forcing him to move onward.

"I think this is far enough," Aradia announced. "Let me see…yes, I can see them now."

"See who?" He looked around warily, one hand moving toward his jacket pocket. "Who's coming?"

Aradia looked slightly nervous at this; it was rather endearing and a bit frightening at the same time. "I think you'll recognize them," she murmured. "I just hope…" She trailed off and gestured vaguely to the sky. "Watch the sky, Doctor. Then you'll understand."

Feeling a little more dubious at this, the Doctor turned his face toward the orange sky. At first he didn't see anything, just the sky of his old home and the distant spires of a long dead city. He shaded his eyes with one hand, trying to glimpse anything out of the already more than ordinary.

Then a distant dot appeared in the sky, followed by two more, then three more materialized, and four more after those. One by one they started drifting towards him and Aradia; a silent group of at least ten people. The Doctor tensed, unsure of what was coming for him. Aradia put a hand on his shoulder. "It will be all right, Doctor," she whispered. "They mean you no harm."

"Who's 'they'?"

Aradia's only answer was another vague gesture toward the approaching figures. He turned his gaze back upon them, and for the second time that night/day/hitherto undetermined stretch of time, he felt as if all of his insides had fallen out of him. For a second, he wondered crazily if this was what humans mean when they said something had blown them away.

He did recognize the figures coming toward him.

They were him. Every single one of them was one of his past regenerations. Here there was a bent old Doctor with white hair, there a slightly younger Doctor wearing a ridiculously long scarf. A Doctor wearing a white suit with a sprig of celery on the lapel beamed at him, and a Doctor with short hair and a leather coat smirked slightly. Though they all looked different, there was one commonality between them; their eyes were a blind, blank white, as if someone had taken a pencil and erased their irises and pupils. It gave them an eerie look, a recently dead sort of look.

The Doctor in the lead gently descended from on high, his brown coat spreading like a pair of wings as he touched down with all the ease of a butterfly. He grinned at the dumbstruck Doctor in front of him. "Well well well! Long time no see, eh?"

The Doctor blinked dumbly. In all his years of traveling through time and space, he had never seen anything quite like this. The man standing in front of him was none other than the one he had been right before regenerating into his current form. He looked exactly the same as he remembered; tall, skinny, and devastatingly handsome with his spiky brown hair and angular face. Though his eyes were a blank white and not brown like they had previously been, they still retained their old warmth. He was positively beaming at him, like they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long, long time.

"This is impossible," the Doctor finally managed to whisper.

"Not really. Well," the other Doctor amended, "sure, lots of things are impossible-in the real world, anyway. This isn't exactly a real world, in case you haven't noticed."

While this Doctor was talking, another one was approaching from behind. This Doctor was the regeneration before the one before his current one; he recognized the short black hair and satellite dish ears. "This the new us, then?" he asked, eyeing the Doctor shrewdly. "Don't really like the look of 'im."

Aradia let out a soft laugh as the younger Doctor frowned at his predecessor. "Come on, he's not so bad! Granted, the chin's a bit squiffy-"

"What's wrong with my chin?!" Instinctively the Doctor ran a hand over his chin. He knew it wasn't exactly the smallest of facial features, but it wasn't  _that_ bad.

"-and the bow tie's a bit much," the other Doctor continued, "but he's fine, once you get to know him."

"Bow ties are cool," the Doctor stated huffily, straightening aforementioned bow tie as he spoke.

"You also thought fezzes and Stetsons were cool, and look where that got you," a third Doctor chimed in. This one was the one wearing the scarf from Hell and sported the curliest head of hair he'd ever seen.

Aradia let out a soft snort of laughter, and every Doctor turned to look at her. "Sorry," she giggled. Then she was all seriousness as she turned to the youngest of the Doctors. "Do you see why I brought you here now?" she asked softly. "They've been waiting for you for so long."

The Doctor turned back toward his past selves. "Have you?"

"Not always," his ninth incarnation stated. "There were a coupla centuries where we sat 'round playin' cards. Didn't think so much about you then." He smiled broadly at the look on the Doctor's face. "Only jokin'. We 'ave been waiting for you."

His tenth incarnation nodded eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet and grinning brightly. "It's an honor to meet myself, if I do say so. I was wondering what I would look like after…after all that." His bouncing stopped and his smile faded as both he and the current Doctor thought of the regeneration that had ended one life and kickstarted another. "Not bad."

"Shut up," the Doctor retorted.

The other Doctor raised one eyebrow. "S'a rather childish response, don't you think?"

He bristled. "…No it isn't!" The other Doctor's sharp laugh made him even more defensive. "You try being twelve hundred years old sometime; acting like some old toff isn't exactly the most fun thing in the universe!"

"That I do know." The tenth Doctor's smile was softer now; he remembered using that smile before to gain trust and melt hearts all over the universe. It was the sort of smile that unlocked all sorts of doors and made people feel that perhaps somebody did care.

"You know what?" he suddenly said. "I really enjoyed being you."

The tenth Doctor's smile broadened. "Oh really?"

"Yeah. You… _I_ was always so energetic, and charismatic, too. You wouldn't believe how many people don't find this face trustworthy." He waved a hand over his features in a dismissive sort of way before returning to the topic at hand. "The only time I really felt great was when I was you. The end…It wasn't the sort of end I think you deserved."

The other Doctor's smile was sad now. "Undeserved, maybe, but it was my time. I had a good old life, but it couldn't last forever. I mean, who'd want that? You had to come out and have some fun, right? I couldn't deny you that." He strode forward and placed one hand on the Doctor's shoulder. He expected it to pass through him, like a ghost's, and was surprised when he felt his strong fingers squeeze his collarbone. This Doctor was several inches taller than he was, so he had to look up at him to meet his blank white eyes. "You're brilliant," he said, "you know that? You've been absolutely brilliant. I mean, we're all brilliant," he gestured toward the other nine Doctors, "but you've been especially brilliant. Don't ever forget that." He released his successor's shoulder and backed away from him, his smile still in place. "You're your own man, Doctor. Or Time Lord, if you prefer."

The ninth Doctor stepped forward. "Can't say I approve of everything this softy's said," he elbowed the tenth Doctor as he spoke, who gave his predecessor a rather hurt look, "but I do agree with him on one point. You've been fantastic, Doctor. Absolutely fantastic." He beamed at the Doctor, his face shining like the sun. "I wasn't in half the scrapes you were in, not to mention you've managed to die three times and not regenerate. S'gotta be a record."

The other Doctors were chiming in now, adding their opinions of the eleventh Doctor to the clamor now rising in the empty field. The rain of praise washed over the Doctor like warm water and made his eyes sting with tears. In all his lives, he'd never once thought good of himself. To hear some of his past incarnations praising him was nothing short of wonderful. He looked over at Aradia, his lips trembling as his eyes watered madly. She smiled at him and opened her arms. Without thinking, he rushed forward and enveloped her in a hug that probably squashed her wings. She didn't seem to care; she clung to him tightly, her face buried in his shoulder.

"D'aww," he heard his tenth incarnation coo.

He ignored this and focused on hugging Aradia. She really was quite soft and warm, and her touch was comforting after spending such a long time without- He cut the thought off before it could finish. The last thing he needed to do now was to start crying. He knew he would really only be crying in front of himself, but he still felt self-conscious about it.

Finally, he released the troll maiden and stepped back. He straightened his tie again and dusted off his jacket, doing his best to look unfazed and cool. The other Doctors were watching him with their blank eyes. They all seemed to be waiting for something.

"So, what did you want to see me for?" he asked, forcing all of his nonchalance into the question to hide his lingering sadness. "I can't imagine you'd just want a social visit, though I realize it would be just about the greatest occurrence in the known universe. Eleven Doctors together?" He shivered theatrically. "Mindblowing."

One of his oldest incarnations stepped forward; the second, maybe? "It has come to our attention that you have lost your companions," he stated solemnly.

That wiped the smile from the Doctor's face. It took him several minutes to respond. "Y-Yeah."

The tenth Doctor was looking at him again, and this time his face was solemn and stern. "I know what you're thinking," he said quietly, "and I'm going to tell you right now to pack it in before something bad happens."

"Pack what in?"

"You're planning on giving it up," the ninth Doctor accused. "Time travel, space exploration, the lot. You want to retire so nobody else gets hurt."

"Preposterous!" the fifth Doctor snorted. "Think of all the people who're relying on you!"

"Remember what killed me," the tenth Doctor said grimly.

The Doctor sighed deeply and looked away. "You don't understand."

Instantly this caused an explosion of protests. "Don't understand? Don't understand?!" His tenth incarnation danced about agitatedly, his hands running through his hair as he bounced about. "You'd think I would have learned by now!"

"We've all lost something," the fourth Doctor stated. "It's part of the Time Lord's curse, remember? Your human companions can't stay with you forever."

"It's no use," the ninth interrupted. "He's not gonna listen. I remember when I was him I didn't ever wanna listen to anybody when I got in one of my moods." He frowned slightly at this. "Didn't think I'd still have moods after regenerating twice over."

Seeing the less than pleased look on the current Doctor's face, Aradia decided to interrupt the current tract this conversation had taken. "What decisions he makes in his life are not up to you," she intoned solemnly. "Your time is up, and his life is his to live."

"What, you think we're trying to live through him?" The tenth Doctor was a study in wounded pride, though his eyes revealed he wasn't particularly hurt by Aradia's insinuation. "Why would we wanna do that?"

"Dear lady, we are only trying to help our fellow Doctor," the second Doctor said. "None of us here want to see him make the same mistakes we've made before."

The young troll maiden's smile was sad as she gazed from Doctor to Doctor. "What mistakes he makes are not yours to rectify."

"Still," the Doctor added, "it's very nice that you'd want to help me. Well, that  _I'd_ want to help me."

"If you don't ever come around, we've gotta make use of the time we do get." The ninth Doctor's voice was serious as he fixed his stern blank gaze upon his successor's youthful face. "We'd rather not see you here before your time."

It hit the Doctor in that moment; one day, maybe soon, he would join the ranks of these Doctors. He would drift in the ghostly replica of his home planet with the others, waiting for the next Doctor to pop by for a visit. Would his eyes be the same blank white as theirs? Instinctively he looked around for a mirror, wanting to check and see if his hazel irises were still present.

"Don't worry." Aradia's voice had a soothing quality to it, and he felt her small hand grip his upper arm reassuringly. "Your time will last for a while yet." She smiled at him, and he felt himself smiling back.

"You won't come down 'ere for a while yet," the ninth Doctor agreed.

The Doctor looked around at all his previous incarnations. He could remember being each and every one, though there was a breach between his emotions and theirs. Still, they were him, and he was them. As if sensing this thought of his, all the other Doctors nodded and smiled. Despite his pain, despite all the things that had happened to him recently, he found himself grinning like a fool.

"So, do you lot ever see anybody else in this bubble?" He gestured vaguely at the surrounding area. He had meant it as an innocent question, but ever single Doctor instantly looked sad and grim. "What?"

"We haven't," the third Doctor replied. "Not once since we've been here."

"We think," the ninth Doctor said, "we won't see anybody else until the very end."

The Doctor's eyebrows rose slightly at this. "You mean-"

"Yeah," the tenth Doctor interrupted. "When the Doctor is gone for good."

An involuntary shiver ran down his spine at the thought. Aradia moved her hand from his arm to his hand and squeezed it. "It's not as scary as you might think," she whispered. "When it's your time, you'll understand."

He blinked down at her; for a young girl, that was an astoundingly profound thought. It had some truth to it, though. The thought of being able to see everybody he loved again after death was a reassuring thought as well, so he was able to quell the fear without too much effort.

"Until then," he stated, "I'll just do as I always have. Travelling the universe, saving planets, eating cake; y'know, the usual."

"Then you're ready to go?" Aradia asked.

"Wha-no, I didn't say that!" he spluttered.

Her smile was sad again. "Maybe, but it's about time for you to leave. You're going to wake up in about ten minutes."

He looked back at his incarnations with a wistful look in his ancient eyes. "Will I ever see them again?"

"My dear boy," one of the Doctors said. He stepped forward, revealing himself to be the very first Doctor. He looked about as old as the Doctor felt. "There won't be any need for you to see us."

"Why not?"

He smiled knowingly at his youngest incarnation. "We will always be with you, Doctor. No matter what."

"We've never really went away," the ninth Doctor agreed.

"Couldn't be rid of us if you tried," the tenth laughed.

The eleventh Doctor looked around at them all with a smile slowly spreading across his face. Then he straightened and said, "Thank you. Or thank me, I guess."

They all made a show of waving off his gratitude, but he could see they were pleased nonetheless. He laughed once before falling back into melancholy. This was the best time he'd had in a while, and he was loath to leave them. Just as he was turning back, he heard a shout from behind. He looked to see the tenth Doctor standing just a few paces away from him; the others were all turning back and gliding serenely into the distance. His predecessor stared at him for a few moments before grinning and stating, "Your bow tie really is cool." Then he sauntered away, his coat fanning out behind him as he followed his predecessors.

The Doctor reached up and touched the silken edge of his bow tie. He looked over at Aradia, who had pearly red tears glimmering in her eyes. Upon reaching up to inspect his face, he discovered wetness pooling in his own eyes and trailing down his face. He made a show of wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

"Come on, Doctor," Aradia said gently. "It's time to go back."

With one last wistful look at his home planet, the Doctor allowed himself to be led away by the Maid of Time. Her wings fluttered softly as she took to the air. There was a flicker, a ripple, and then the bubble was behind them and they were back in space. Only this time there wasn't just darkness around them; the Doctor could see hundreds, maybe even thousands of other bubbles surrounding them, each adding their differently colored light to the blackness. It was quite beautiful to behold.

"Are these…?"

"They're all dream bubbles." Aradia's voice indicated she was used to this sort of thing. "It's my job to watch over all of them."

" _All_ of them?"

"All of them." She looked around with a glimmer of pride shining in her ruby colored eyes. "The dead and the living both need my guidance, so I give it to them."

"That's…amazing," he managed. He almost couldn't fathom it, and he could fathom a lot of things.

In a surprisingly short amount of time, they were back at the TARDIS. It sat there patiently, as if it weren't, in fact, floating in a black void. Aradia placed her hand against the blue doors and gently pushed them open. "Your universe awaits you, Doctor."

"One thing first." Before Aradia could stop him, the Doctor swept her up in a massive hug. She stiffened in surprise, but soon she was hugging him back, her claws digging into his tweed jacket. "Thank you, Aradia," he murmured. "For everything."

"There's no need to thank me." Her voice broke twice and wobbled unsteadily, like she was barely holding back tears.

The Doctor pulled back and looked her full in the face. "Will I ever see you again?"

The troll maiden shrugged. "Who knows? The world works in strange ways." She pulled away and drifted back into the darkness. "Go, Doctor," she called as the blackness began to swallow her. Her voice receded into the distance, though he caught her parting words. "Find your happiness!"

With a gasp, he jerked awake. The Doctor was in the office-like chair stationed to the side of the TARDIS console. Clearly he had sat down and taken a bit of a nap, and what a nap it had been. Rubbing his eyes with his hands, he stood up and crossed over to the console. The familiar rasp of the TARDIS engines greeted him, bringing a smile to his face. Just as he was reaching for one of the levers, he spotted something glimmering on the console.

A sprinkling of red pixie dust.


End file.
